The M3 Jackson Multiple Gun Motor Carriage was introduced alongside the M3 Lee in order to provide close support to the Armoured Infantry Regiments of the US Army’s Armoured Divisions heading for North Africa. Like the Lee and Grant before it, the Jackson was named after a great fighting General but, unlike its stable mates, the name didn’t stick much beyond its initial deployment. In US Army service, the Jackson was universally better known as the ‘Stonewall’. Whilst never supplied in great numbers to Great Britain, the British Army was also quick to adopt the name ‘Stonewall’ and at the same time dropped the mouthful that was ‘Multiple Gun Motor Carriage’ in preference for the more functional descriptor of ‘Fire Support Vehicle.’ It wasn’t long before the name M3 Stonewall Fire Support Vehicle became generally accepted across the Allied forces.

Whilst the commonality of the M3 hull would greatly ease maintenance and serviceability, the unusual gun arrangement brought with it its own unique problems. With its crew of six (Commander, driver, 2 x gunners and 2 x loaders), the fighting compartment was a busy and cramped place. With 2x 75mm guns to service and a potentially impressive rate of fire, ammunition storage was always going to be a problem and even with every spare corner packed there was never enough space.

It was also quickly realised that in the dry conditions found in North Africa the not inconsiderable dust cloud kicked up when both guns fired not only prevented effective sight of the fall of shot but also instantly gave away the firing position. In practice, alternating firing of the guns proved to be more accurate and delivered a steadier rate of fire. Although not intended as such, the Stonewall also proved to be a surprisingly good impromptu tank destroyer.

However, the Stonewall, like the Lee and Grant, was only ever meant to be a stopgap until a better vehicle was made available. Indeed it was rather cruelly pointed out that the Stonewall had two of everything, two 75s, two gunners, two loaders and was too much trouble. The 75mm HE round was just too small to provide the desired fire support and when the 105mm armed M7 Priest became available; it quickly replaced the Stonewall in the armoured formations.

Nevertheless, the Stonewall did not entirely disappear and provided useful service to the US Marine Corps and US Army fighting in the Pacific Theatre of Operations. Although preferring the heavier 25pdr gun for its standard artillery fire support, the British Army saw potential in US Army’s anti-tank experiences and replaced the 75mm guns in most of their existing Stonewalls with 6pdrs in order to provide a more capable SPAT weapon system. The resulting vehicle showed promise and had a degree of success in North Africa convincing the British Army to consider refining the Stonewall SPAT further by combining the gunners’ positions and sighting systems reducing the crew size to 5 and thus increasing the ammunition stowage. However, in the end, the concept was never developed beyond the drawing board.

The model depicts the 3rd vehicle of F Company, 2nd Battalion, 13th Armoured Regiment of 1st Armoured Division in North Africa circa November 1942 and is made up from parts of a Tamiya M3 Lee Mk I, a Tamiya M3 Grant Mk I and the ubiquitous plastic card.

Although belonging to the Luftwaffe, the Fallschirmjäger had always been regarded amongst the elite of Germany’s fighting soldiers. None more so than the 1st Parachute Division who’s impressive and extensive combat history records it as the unit that was responsible for all of the early German airborne victories.

Given their elite status, the Fallschirmjäger benefitted from the very best of training and had access to the very best of equipment. That said, paratroopers, by definition and employment are, at best, little more than light infantry and whilst courage, endurance and fighting spirit are without doubt combat multipliers, a lack of heavy equipment has always been a tactical limitation.

Whilst by the summer of 1944 the Fallschirmjäger had, for all intense and purposes, lost their airborne role, they still maintained their fighting spirit and elite status. Wherever the fighting was hardest or at its most desperate, the ‘Green Devils’ could be found. In recognition of their new earth-bound role, the Orbat of the Parachute Divisions was changed to closer reflect that of their line infantry cousins.

However, given the tendency for commanders to use the Fallschirmjäger to bolster the line wherever it was at its weakest, their lack of tactical mobility was a problem. Virtually all of the Army’s Sd. Kfz. 251/1 Hanomag halftracks went to the hard pressed Panzergrenadiers and whilst lorries were available, they were not tactically suited to the needs of the paratroopers. In the end, Hermann Göring himself intervened and so it was that Sd. Kfz. 234/5 Mammut (Mammoth) was born.

Built on the 8-wheeled hull of the Sd. Kfz. 234/1 Armoured Car, the Mammoth was, nevertheless, a somewhat more radical change in design over the other vehicles of the 234 family. With the large 14,825cc, air-cooled Tatra 103 diesel engine mounted in the front, the rear troop compartment could comfortably accommodate a crew of 2 + 10. Although the Mammoth’s off-road capability was slightly less than the Hanomag, its top speed of 80km/h more than made up when compared to the leisurely pace of the halftrack (52km/h).

Even with their bespoke carriers, there were never enough Mammoths in circulation for the Fallschirmjäger to be considered true armoured infantry. Indeed, it was the norm that the Division’s combat Regiments remained as light infantry but were supported by a mobility Regiment of Mammoth APCs.

The model depicts the 3rd vehicle, 3rd platoon, 2nd company of the 1st Parachute Division’s mobility Regiment and is made out of an Italeri Sd. Kfz. 234/2 Puma, a Tamiya Sd. Kfz 251/1, some bits and pieces from the spares box and, of course, our good ol’ friend Mr Plastic Card.

By 1942, the As 292 had proved itself a useful Aufklarungsgerat (reconnaissance apparatus) for the Wehrmacht. Most As 292 operations were supported by soft-skinned vehicles, but there was a need for a tracked vehicle to support operations in the Russian steppes, where terrain made wheeled-vehicle movement difficult and wheeled takeoffs by As 292 were also challenging. Consequently, surplus Pz 35t tanks were converted with a metal-framed, wooden-decked, fixed launch ramp and a compressed air catapult powered by a two-cylinder gasoline-powered compressor mounted on the left rear fender. One As 292 was carried, and could be manhandled onto the launch ramp after a wheeled landing recovery. The compressor could recharge the catapult holding tank in about 25 minutes, and the As 292 could be airborne for up to thirty minutes. Film from the As 292 ops could be swapped out by the crew for later processing, but there was no on-board film processing capability.

After the cease for of the Korean War,the United States decided to give surplus M46 tanks to the fledgling Israeli army to counter the Arab armor sold to them by the Soviets. The Israelis loved the M46 much more than the M4 series.

One of six Magella Assault conversions completed on Earth ( Cuba Landing Force ) for theJaburo operation. Never used, they were abandonded at the end of the war in UC 0080.( So that makes a little more sense: Jaburo was a major earth federation forces base in the South American Jungle. The attack on it forms a minor story arc in the series, and intorduces a number of the aquatic and 'specials' robots. UC is 'Universal Century', the new calendar used in the Gundam universe. If I remember rightly, it corresponds roughly to. well, turns out thats an open question. http://gundam.wikia.com/wiki/Universal_Century